1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to resuscitators for assisting or reestablishing the breathing of a patient
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents appear to be relevant to the present invention: Pierpont, U.S. Pat. No. 1,197,232, issued July, 1916; Lyon, U.S. Pat. No. 1,371,702, issued March, 1921; Anston, U.S. Pat. No. 1,406,141, issued February, 1922; Rausch, U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,419, issued September, 1947; Emerson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,451, issued October, 1947; Ritchie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,866, issued August, 1969; Elam, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,404, issued March, 1978; Holmes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,038, issued December, 1980; Sitnik, U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,962, issued October, 1989; and Holt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,226, issued Apr. 23, 1991.
Pierpont, U.S. Pat. No. 1,197,232, discloses a device including a hand operated bellows having first and second chambers. When the bellows is operated, positive pressure is created in the first chamber to force oxygen or atmospheric air into a patient's lungs and a vacuum is created in the second chamber to draw vitiated air out of the patient's lungs.
Lyon, U.S. Pat. No. 1,371,702, discloses a device including a hand operated piston coupled to a face mask by first and second conduits. When the piston is operated, positive pressure is created on the downstroke to force air into a patient's lungs and negative pressure is created on the upstroke to draw air from the patient's lungs. Structure is provided to allow the volume of air pumped per pump stroke to be varied.
Anston, U.S. Pat. No. 1,406,141, discloses an apparatus for first drawing impure air out of a patient's body, forcing clean air into the patient's body, and then causing a constant circulation of air for a sufficient time to insure exercise and full expansion of the patient's lungs and bronchial tubes.
Rausch, U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,419, discloses a resuscitating apparatus for forcing gas into a patient's lungs and for exhausting the spent gas from the patient's lungs by suction. The apparatus includes structure for maintaining the positive and negative pressures created thereby within certain limits.
Emerson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,451, discloses a pressure resuscitator which intermittently forces air or oxygen into a patient's lungs so as to inflate the lungs, the deflation of the lungs depending upon the elasticity thereof.
Ritchie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,866, discloses a respirator including a pair of piston-type pumps connected by a piston rod to a common handle for simultaneous reciprocal operation. One pump is operable on one stroke of the handle to induce inhalation by a patient and the other pump is operable on the other stroke of the handle to induce exhalation by the patient. Valves are provided to prevent excess positive or negative pressures.
Elam, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,404, discloses a resuscitator valve mechanism having inspiration and expiration ports, and arranged to assure automatic operation to effect oxygen “blow-by” under conditions of operation tending to close the expiration port to thereby prevent undesirable build-up of pressure in the patient's lungs.
Holmes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,038, discloses a manually operable resuscitator having a reservoir into which breathable gas is drawn and from which the gas may be directed to a patient, and having a valve assembly which prevents exhaled gas from returning to the reservoir and which keeps the space in which the exhaled gas is retained small to ensure that the subsequent inhalation gases to the patient include only a small proportion of carbon dioxide.
Sitnik, U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,962, discloses a disposable self-inflating manual resuscitator bag that is shaped like a pleated, handleless bellows where the pleats act like a spring following compression to rapidly re-inflate the bag to its fully recovered state.
Holt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,226, discloses the present inventor's earlier resuscitator including a pump having a cavity and including movable means movable between a first position and a second position for forcing gas from the cavity of the pump when moved from the first position to the second position and for drawing gas into the cavity of the pump when moved from the second position to the first position, the pump having an opening for allowing gas to be drawn into and forced out of the cavity thereof; a base member having a passageway for allowing gas to pass therethrough, the passageway having a first end and a second end; coupling means for allowing gas to pass from the passageway of the base member to the patient's lungs, the coupling means including a hollow tube for being connected to the second end of the passageway of the base member to allow gas to pass from the passageway of the base member therethrough; and seal means for forming a gas-tight seal between the opening of the pump and the first end of the passageway of the base member when the movable means of the pump is moved from the first position to the second position to allow gas to be forced from the cavity of the pump through the passageway of the base member and out the coupling means.
None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention. More specifically, none of the above patents disclose or suggest a resuscitator including a pump having a cavity and including movable means movable between a first position and a second position for forcing gas from the cavity of the pump when moved from the first position to the second position and for drawing gas into the cavity of the pump when moved from the second position to the first position, the pump having an opening for allowing gas to be drawn into and forced out of the cavity thereof; a base member having a passageway for allowing gas to pass therethrough, the passageway having a first end and a second end; coupling means for allowing gas to pass from the passageway of the base member to the patient's lungs, the coupling means including a hollow tube for being connected to the second end of the passageway of the base member to allow gas to pass from the passageway of the base member therethrough; seal means for forming a gas-tight seal between the opening of the pump and the first end of the passageway of the base member when the movable means of the pump is moved from the first position to the second position to allow gas to be forced from the cavity of the pump through the passageway of the base member and out the coupling means; and sternum means attached to the base member for placement on the patient's chest over the patient's sternum and for applying pressure to the patient's sternum during resuscitation.